SUV Review: 2013 Infiniti JX35

Opulent family mover a minivan alternative

By Graeme Fletcher, National Post

Originally published: July 26, 2012

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The introduction of the Infiniti JX35 takes the company in a new direction. Being based on Nissan’s D platform, the same one that underpins the Murano and Quest, brings a number of advantages. Until its introduction, if you wanted to accommodate Sleepy, Dopey, Doc et. al, the only Infiniti to fit the bill was the hulking QX – a monster and a gas hog of the first order. The JX brings almost the same interior volume and a tonne of flexibility without the attendant penalty.

There are three rows of seats – the middle row can be moved fore and aft to allow a little more centre-row leg space or, when the third row is occupied, give those riders some extra breathing room. The third row is fairly accommodating, although the seat squab is a little too close to the floor, which, for a taller rider, forces one’s legs up at an awkward angle. That stated, it is as comfortable as any third-row seat on the market. Accessing it is also very easily accomplished thanks to a lever on the middle seat that pops the base up and moves the whole seat forward, which opens up a generous walkway. In this regard, the Infiniti is better than most.

If cargo is the order of the day, the JX will, again, satisfy most needs. With the second and third rows upright, there’s 15.8 cubic feet of space, and with the second and third rows folded flat, there’s a cavernous 76.4 cu. ft. For some reason, Infiniti does not list the capacity behind the second-row seat. Regardless, the capacity betters the JX’s key competitors including the Lincoln MKT.

Up front, the JX35 is very nicely attired – as long as one takes a number of option packages. With the Premium, Theatre, Deluxe Touring and Technology packages aboard, the JX35 wants for nothing. The list runs from a good navigation system with a large eight-inch screen, a 15-speaker audio system, heated/cooled front seats and a power sunroof all the way through to heated rear seats and a good rear entertainment system along with lane departure and blind spot monitoring. The option list is very extensive. Unfortunately, it is equally expensive – $13,500 on the test vehicle.

The other hitch is the ladder nature of the packages. All require the addition of the Premium package ($5,000) first. The Deluxe Touring package then requires the addition of the Theatre package and the Technology package requires all three be added. Given the JX35 is the type of vehicle that will appeal to families, the inability to add rear-seat entertainment and the safety of lane departure and blind spot monitoring without having to pony up for all of the packages makes little sense, bottom line aside.

The JX35 is powered by Nissan’s sweet 3.5-litre V6. In this application, it spins out 265 horsepower and 248 pound-feet of torque, which is enough power to motivate the 2,005 kilograms of leather-lined opulence with the desired alacrity and tow a 1,588-kg trailer. The power is relayed to the road through a continuously variable transmission and all four wheels. The all-wheel-drive system does a good job of distributing the power to the wheels with grip in a seamlessly quick manner. Again, in this regard, it is a match for the competition.

The continuously variable transmission is a mixed blessing – it does motorboat under hard acceleration, but it has the ability to be operated manually. Infiniti’s Drive Mode Selector allows the driver to choose among Normal, Sport, Snow and Eco modes. In all cases, the system remaps the throttle and tweaks the transmission according to mode. Forget the Eco mode unless fuel economy is paramount – it softens things to the point where it feels like the driver is pressing his boot into a bucket of porridge. The Normal mode is just fine; the Sport mode sharpens things and delivers a much more rewarding driving experience because of its manual nature. When set in Sport, the JX35 runs to 100 kilometres an hour in 8.8 seconds. It’s far from pulse quickening, but it’s up to the task of the morning commute.

When it comes to the handling side of things, the JX35 feels as big as it looks. The softer, comfort-oriented suspension gives rise to a fair amount of body roll through a faster corner and it tends to slip into understeer if the driver gets mildly aggressive – this in spite of the optional oversized P235/55R20 tires. Having explained all of that, given its crossover station in life, the JX handled pretty much as expected. It’s sharper than the Buick Enclave and Lincoln MKT, but it lags the Acura MDX and Audi Q7 in terms of its overall handling prowess.

For those with the need to accommodate six or seven riders on a regular basis and want to do it in style, the JX35 fits the bill very nicely. Certainly, the pricing structure needs looking at, but from just about every other standpoint, Snow White and her vertically challenged pals have a luxuriously viable option to a minivan.